Apocalypse
by RainInLondon
Summary: AU-where the Avengers Initiative failed horribly, leaving everyone as enemies. However, when new supervillains arrive, they must regroup, and before they know it, they're telling each other their secrets, like stupid teenage girls. Could they be friends? Maybe. Loki/Tony. Despite this sucky summary, this is Tony-centric, filled with angst, family, hurt, whump, etc. I do prompts.


**Author's Note: hi guys. Thanks for reading this. I am the author of the horrid fanfic Iron Renegade, and a certain review showed me some mistakes I made. I do not think I will be continuing Iron Renegade for a long time, so I decided to really do my best and do as the reviewer suggested for writing tips. She actually has a point, and I realize my fanfic actually kinda sucks. So, this is my 'second chance' at writing a n Avengers multi-chapter fanfic. Hope you like. Tell me what you think of it!**

"They'll recognize each other, sir," Maria Hills said quietly as she and Fury waited for the soon-to-be Avengers team. "They'll probably try to kill each other. Especially Romanoff and Barton."

Fury gave a derisive snort. "There's no 'especially' in this team, Agent. They all hate each other equally. It's going to be a success."

Maria arched a brow. "Sir?"

Fury spared a glance at her and continued looking out at the view the floor-to-ceiling windows had to offer. "Their hatred…" he said slowly. "It's so great, that it'll turn into love. They'll be a family, Hills, indestructible. They won't know it yet, but we do. Isn't that enough?"

Maria stared at her boss for a moment, looking deep into his one eye. She only saw seriousness and a cunning plan nestled in those dark depths. "Yes sir," she said, acting like she understood Fury, but she didn't. The plan seemed like a failure.

Who in their right minds would bring the world's greatest heroes together?

Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, would skin Natasha Romanoff alive if he had to. His passion for her had turned into a mad affair of hate from a past he would not speak of.

Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, was convinced that Barton was wrong in the past situation that drifted them apart so drastically. She'd cut off his testicles the moment she saw him.

Thor, Odin's son, really had no quarrel, but his animosity with the Hulk had driven the team in two. Fury had made Jane Foster threaten him to be in the project, and Maria could tell from past experience, Jane was _not_ someone you would like to get angry. Combine her with Darcy Lewis, and you were a goner.

Bruce Banner, a.k.a. Hulk, had left because of too many lost tempers. Too many flashes of olives, forest, pine, and all other shades and hues of green. He had left without a note, and that only drifted the Avengers apart.

Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, had argued with Clint and Tony the most. He was a firm believer in second chances and miracles and all that crap, and the fact that he always compared Howard to Tony Stark led him in Tony's Top Hated Superheroes list (he was number one, right in front of Aquaman). Needless to say, both were satisfied when the other was out of their sights.

Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, was more of a special case. He had outed his sexuality ("Yeah, that's right. I'm bi, and saaaay. You look cute. Yeah, you-blondie with green eyes. Wanna meet? My house, my room, you can't miss it. Uh-huh, here's my card.") after his breakup with Pepper Potts, some saying because of his depression when the Avengers moved out, or the fact that Pepper 'couldn't handle him anymore'. Pepper had kicked the reporter's ass who said that live on T.V. and Maria couldn't have been prouder (yes, she taught Pepper that move with Natasha and _damn_ those heels had to _hurt_ ). Afterwards, Tony had settled into a steady relationship with a certain man named Keith Montgomery, owner of O.U.I.D.A. Industries. He had settled under radar, but rumors had it that since he met Montgomery, the man had changed-for the worse.

They had been a team once, but something had drifted them apart. Fury wouldn't tell anyone, nor would the Avengers.

The Avengers. They seemed like so long ago. The Iron Man suit was probably rusting somewhere. Captain America's shield was probably displayed in some museum. Mjolnir was, most likely, stuck warm and rough in either Thor's hands or strapped on him. As for Clint and Natasha…Maria shuddered. She did not want to know where their weapons had been. Almost certainly wound an inch deep in flesh at least once in a while, Maria was sure. She-

"Agent Hills?" Steve Rogers stood by the door, dressed in his leather brown jacket, light jeans, and white T-shirt. He was as buff as always, and (of course) polite as shit. "Director Fury," he acknowledged. Steve nodded at both of them, smiled a bit, and walked in, hands stuffed down to his pockets.

"Rogers," said Fury. "Nice of you to come. Take a seat." He waved a hand over the handful of chairs, and Steve reluctantly sat down, eyes wary as he came to recognize the signature meeting place the Avengers used. "I trust you had a nice tri-"

"DIRECTOR OF FURY!" boomed Thor. He strolled right in, looking oddly normal with a red shirt and faded blue jeans. The only abnormal thing was his hammer clutched tightly in hands and the regal, almost princely way, he was walking. "AGENT OF HILLS! HOW PLEASANT TO SEE YOU! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS VISIT AND-" Thor's eyes had swept across the room and landed on Steve. His voice grew slightly colder. "CAPTAIN! I HOPE YOU ARE WELL?"

Maria leaned in and whispered to Thor's ear, "Inside voices."

"Ah," said Thor in a quieter voice. "Forgive me. I know not of my boisterous voice. Please continue, Captain."

Steve smiled politely back. "I'm fine. You?"

Thor's eyes took a faraway look and he answered, "My time here in Midguard has been of best. My beloved, Jane, has been the ever constant light of my life, and I am only grateful that she has spent time with me. I believe I am what you mortals call 'whipped'."

Steve furrowed his brows. "I'm not sure you should ask me." His eye caught sight of movement and he turned. Bruce stood by the doorway, eyes trained on Thor and Steve.

Bruce forced a smile. "Steve. Thor. How are you?" Before Thor could launch onto a whole new conversation concerning Jane Foster, Clint appeared by Bruce's shoulder.

He looked around the room blankly. "Damn." He turned on a heel to leave but crashed into a girl. A feminine, curvy body with corded muscles and a honeysuckle scent. Sighing through gritted teeth, Clint looked up to see Natasha, staring emotionlessly at him. Her eyes drifted by and caught sight of the others. Only Clint noticed the subtle, almost over-looked tightening of her body.

She walked by Clint and plopped on a chair. After an awkward pause, Clint said, "Give me a reason why I shouldn't leave right now." Steve didn't know if he was talking to Natasha or Fury.

Natasha turned to stare at Clint stoically. "You can leave if you want. You're not exactly needed here." Blunt, clear to the point.

Fury intervened before anything else could get out of hand. "Actually, you _both_ are needed here. Sit next to Banner, Barton. You and Romanoff are under my contract and I have information to make your lives miserable so shut up and listen to me." Fury stared at all of them. He knew he wasn't exactly in the safest place with two certain spies that could very well kill the entire building ( _cough_ ClintandNatasha _cough_ ), but as Tony Stark once so eloquently said, Fury was the spy of spies. His secrets had secrets. He had connections, he had information, and he would use them without hesitation. He made sure everyone knew that. "Now," said Fury, glaring a bit at all of them until they all sat next to each other. Natasha and Clint left an empty space between where Stark would no doubt occupy. "All we have to do is wait for Stark."

Steve's fists visibly tightened, and he said icily, "That might as well be forever. Why don't we all just get the information now, and you can debrief Tony when you meet him alone?"

Fury thinned his lips. "All we have to do is wait for Stark," he repeated, eyes narrowing. "Just because you and Stark have unresolved issues doesn't mean-"

Tony Stark, as usual, arrived fashionably late, dressed in a crisp yet casual outfit: a black T-shirt that didn't exactly cover the blue glow of his Arc Reactor, dark designer jeans, and a grey jacket. He didn't walk in with his usual boisterous, boasting self. He walked in slowly, almost like was dreading this entire meeting. "Fury," he greeted, voice even with a forced smirk on his lips. His hand was clutching a StarkPhone with a white knuckled grip. He had on a pair of slim, black sunglasses. That itself was off. It should have given Fury warning signs, but he ignored it for now.

"Stark," Fury growled, pointing at the empty chair next to Clint and Natasha. "You're late."

Tony's laugh sounded fake. "Just like the old times, eh Fury?"

Clint scoffed a laugh and Natasha simply chose not to answer. Settling down next to Clint and Natasha, he crossed his legs and looked up expectantly. "So? Quit wasting my precious time and get on with it, Fury," said Tony lightly. He thumbed his phone, and Clint could see in the corner of his eye that his hand was shaking.

"Kolantris. Bumble. Man Eater." said Fury. He paused, looking at each of them with equal intensity. "You know them. Every one of you knows them. They were superheroes themselves, and apparently, they were hit with a serum as well." Fury gazed directly at Steve as he said that, and Steve clenched his jaw. "Kolantris was known back then as Aqualad. Apparently, he grew insane with jealousy for Aquaman-" At this, Tony muttered, "Who in their right mind would be jealous of _Aquaman?"_ Clint laughed and Fury studiously ignored them- "and was never heard from again. Bumble was known as the Red Bee. No one liked him. He was ridiculous with his costume and his hoard of bees. Consumed by hatred for the public, Bumble disappeared. Now, Man Eater eats through anything. Terrifying, I know," he added dryly to Clint's eye roll. "But apparently, he eats humans now too. There's a certain leader, but S.H.I.E.L.D. can't find any leads. He-"

Tony's phone rang. Immediately, he went as white as snow. "I have to go," he mumbled. Turning to leave, Tony did not expect Steve to latch onto his hand and grip it.

"No!" he hissed. "You do not get to waltz out of this room when the world is facing its greatest supervillains. You do not get to-"

"Steve, I have to go," Tony repeated, getting more nervous and agitated. His hands were shaking and clutching his phone.

"Take the phone here," Steve demanded.

"No, I-"

"Take it here."

"You don't understand, I-"

"Stark. Either stay here and let the call end, or pick it up."

Fury growled in annoyance. He didn't have time for this, but before he intervened, Tony slowly took out his phone and placed it in his ear. "Hello?" Tony asked weakly.

Some talking on the other side. "Yeah…I know, I'm sorry, they… _they won't let me leave,_ " Tony suddenly said with a hysterical edge. "No…no. I…I… _please,_ " he begged. Steve started to feel a stirring of guilt in his stomach, Bruce felt a flicker of confusion, Thor stared at everything in bewilderment, and Clint simply watched with wide eyes. Natasha suddenly got up, gritting her teeth as a wild light lit her face, as if she suspected something and that something made her furious.

She wrenched the phone from his hand and hissed in his ear, "Tony's busy. Shut up and hang up." With that, she ended the call, whirled to Tony, and took the sunglasses off his face. For a moment, she was silent, blocking everyone's view of Tony's face.

The Avengers didn't see the black eye that Tony sported, but Natasha certainly did.

 **Author's Note: Cliffhanger! Mwahahaha (yeah, I'm one of those crazy people who like to end on cliffhangers. This cliffhanger is small, but beware of future ones *snickers*). Also, Man Eater? The Red Bee? Aqualad? They're all real. I'm serious, and also? They landed on the Top 10 Lamest Superhoes (*cough*that's why I chose them*cough*). Anyway, tell me what you think of this fanfic!**


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